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Budget 2019

Wooing middle class with tax breaks,

farmers & workers with sops

This interim budget exempts persons with gross income of `6.5 lakh annually from paying any
tax after considering investments of `1.5 lakh in tax saving schemes, reports dr anil singh

ast budget of the NDA govern- However, Prime Minister Modi was was scheduled to end in May, is said to
ment, also called an interim quick enough to make it clear to the have forced the Modi government on to
budget, led by Prime Minister Opposition that his government would the backfoot.
Narendra Modi has been pre- present an “interim Budget” in the Lok The interim budget is said to have
L sented by an interim finance Sabha Friday. He gave this assurance evoked a mixed reaction from vari-
minister, as many observers call it, to leaders of parties at a session-eve ous segments of the Indian society. The
Piyush Goyal in Lok Sabha on 1 February. meeting at the Parliament. The Union middle class has welcomed the tax sops
It is interesting to note that a day before, Home Minister Ranjnath Singh had also and some farmers’ organizations have
Piyush Goel had told an all-party meet- reiterated what Modi stated. after the expressed mixed reactions on the sops
ing that a “Budget is a Budget” and there Opposition Congress’s vow to oppose offered to the farmers, especially an
is nothing like an interim budget or a any attempt at presenting a full-fledged offer of 6,000 every year to small hold-
vote-on-account. Budget when the government’s tenure ing farmers.

Tehelka / 15 february 2019 10 www.Tehelka.com